Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy

Who is it for?

The musculoskeletal physiotherapy service is for people aged 16 and over with musculoskeletal conditions.  Musculoskeletal conditions relate to bones, muscles and joints.

If you live within the catchment area for Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board you can be referred to us by a health care professional or you can refer yourself.

What do I need to know?

Many musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions do not need treatment and can improve with what is called ‘self-management’ which describes the things that you can do to help yourself.  If you want to know more about this you can follow this link.

Physiotherapy is a treatment approach that focusses on how the body responds to movement and activity.  Research evidence tells us that exercise and paying attention to how we move is an effective way to treat most MSK conditions.

Appropriate exercise is the ‘medicine’ that is most often advised by Physiotherapists.  Other treatments such as joint mobilisation or manipulation and hands on treatment can be helpful for some but they would not be offered without a movement and exercise plan alongside it.

If you are coming to see a Physiotherapist you can expect daily activity and exercise to be discussed.  Your Physiotherapist will help you understand what is safe and appropriate for you and your condition.

The service does not request investigations on behalf of other health care professionals.  Your GP can request investigations for some conditions. The MSK Physiotherapy service accepts referrals for people who need assessment and management of their condition.  Physiotherapists can make decisions about whether or not any investigations are needed and will consider this as part of the overall plan for managing your condition.

What happens next?

We will work with you to understand your needs and preferences and how we can support you.  To do this we will gather information in the following ways.

• What you tell us about yourself.
• What your doctor or health care professional tells us.
• What we can find out through further assessment such as a physical examination.
• Additional tests are sometimes used to help with a diagnosis and to plan treatment but often the physical assessment tells us everything we need to know.

We will discuss with you what your choices are, how we can help you and what you can do to help yourself. We will aim to agree a plan with you that considers what matters to you.

Get in touch:

Physiotherapy hub: 01443 715012                                           Self-referral link/form/